Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

VALDOSTA — Donald Trump promised to scuttle Obamacare, build a wall along the Mexican border and protect the Second Amendment during a visit here Monday that drew more than 10,000 people.

“We are going to win at every single level,” he said during a campaign stop at Valdosta State University. “We are going to win on health. We are going to win with education. We are going to win at the borders. We are going to win with our military. We’re going to win, win, win, win. We are going to make America great again — greater than before.”

Some 7,500 people packed into the 5,000-seat athletic complex at VSU, with thousands more listening outside. They chanted his name when he vowed to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. And they cheered when he promised to build a wall along the Mexican border.

“Everybody talks about the wall,” he said. “Everybody. The wall’s going to be built folks. The wall’s going to be built. We’re going to have a strong border. And by the way, who is going to pay for the wall?”

Trump, who mixed bombastic rhetoric with self-deprecating humor, railed against the media, political correctness and his chief challengers in the GOP field, Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas. He called Rubio “little lightweight Marco Rubio” and Cruz “Lying Ted Cruz.”

“I’m not a politician,” he said. “These guys — you know, all they do is talk. It’s all talk, no action. They debate. They talk. Nothing gets done.”

He rolled out special guests — Bill Elliott, his son Chase Elliott and other NASCAR stars, who are endorsing the billionaire.

“You know, I tell you what, if the people that like and watch NASCAR vote for Donald Trump, they can cancel the election right now,” Trump said.

Trump was the first GOP presidential candidate to visit Valdosta in more than three decades, said Brandon Phillips, director of the Georgia Trump campaign. The last time was 1980, when Ronald Reagan campaigned there.

“I think we’re going to do well in Georgia,” said Phillips, managing partner of the political consulting firm Wiregrass Strategy Group, which has an office in Tallahassee. “It’s just a matter of how well we’re going to do.”

His visit to Valdosta, known as "Winnersville USA" and “Title Town” because of its strong local football programs, marked the fourth time he's campaigned in the state, after visits to Atlanta and Macon. Earlier in the day, he campaigned in another small college town, Radford, Virginia.

Phillips said Trump has built a strong organization in Georgia, with field offices in four cities, Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta and Valdosta, and local campaign directors in every county.

“We’ve got a good ground game, contrary to popular belief," he said. "We're organizing 159 counties out of 159 counties — and we’re the only campaign to do that.”

Susan Bodine, who planned to attend the rally with her husband, Harlie Bodine, said she was excited Trump decided to visit. Bodine, who started and later sold a food brokerage company in Nashville, said she is drawn to Trump’s plan to fix the economy.

“We’re business folks,” she said. “That’s what appeals to me — his business sense. I think jobs are very important. We have so many unemployed people in the United States, and we need jobs.”

A few people traveled from Tallahassee to the rally, including major Trump supporters and those who simply wanted to see the real-estate mogul and television personality in real life.

“He offends everybody out there, and yet he’s soaring in popularity,” said Johnny Blue Craig, owner of Craig Commercial Realty, who isn’t planning to vote for him. “He’s a very intriguing guy.”

Janice Allen attended the rally with her husband, Dr. James M. Allen, a retired orthodontist. The Allens, who live in Valdosta, already cast ballots for Trump in early voting.

“Donald Trump is saying everything the majority of the population thinks but they won’t say it,” she said. “He is not afraid to say it. We have just about lost everything – our freedom of religion, the right to bear arms and all these other things. I believe that he will hopefully put America back on its feet.”

Stephanie Whittington of Quitman, Georgia, planned to attend the rally even though she hadn’t decided whether she would vote for Trump or Cruz.

“I’m either going to see the next president of the United States,” she said, “or — let’s face it — he’s a celebrity.”.